Causes of Global climate change

Question 1

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 1

It keeps the earth’s temperature at a level that makes it possible for living things to live on earth.

Question 2

What are 2 ways of mitigation and explain how they help reduce CO2.

Answer 2

• Carbon offsetting:
  
  • it is a way to neutralize our carbon dioxide emissions by investing in projects that cut emissions elsewhere such as planting trees
• Carbon capture
  
  • removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through special processes

Question 3

What is a positive feedback loop? Give an example.

Answer 3

A mechanism in which a change in the system will lead to an increase in the change, thus amplifying the system

Example: Methane feedback

• Permafrost contain large amounts of methane.
• With the increase of global temperature, peermafrost will melt, releasing methane into the atmosphere.
• This will lead to an increase in the amount of long-wave radiation, increasing global temperatures.

Question 4

What is a negative feedback loop? Give an example.

Answer 4

A mechanism that brings a system back to equilibrium.

Example: Evaporation and clouds

• Increased level of evaporation from oceans as a result of human activities.
• This results in the formation of clouds
• Clouds reflect incoming solar radiation back into space, decreasing the earth’s temperature.

Question 5

List reasons why increased trade by emerging economies led to increased greenhouse gas emissions?

Answer 5

1. Increased trade: Containers transported by ships, airplanes, and trucks release gases into the atmosphere.
2. Increased export of manufacturing goods: Factories producing goods, results in emissions of greenhouse gases.

Question 6

What causes sea levels to rise?

Answer 6

• Temperature rises, causing glaciers to melt
• As they melt, water runs into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise.
• Thermal expansion:
  
  • As temperatures rise, sea water temperature rises as well
  • Causing water to expand, increasing its volumes, which also leads to sea level rising.

Question 7

What are the consequences of sea levels rising?

Answer 7

• Flooding
• Increase in temperature

Question 8

How does climate change affect animals migration and habitats?

Answer 8

• Rising temperatures can force animals to migrate to areas where the temperature is cooler. In some environments, animals are unable to migrate, which will result in their extinction.

Question 9

How can climate change affect our health?

Answer 9

• Air quality
  
  • Warm temperatures and shifting weather patterns can lead to asthma.
  • Wildfires will increase eventually, creating smoke and unhealthy pollutants.
• Severe weather events
  
  • Flooding, droughts and storms
  • People will be in danger

Question 10

Who is vulnerable to climate change?

Answer 10

• Poor people
  
  • They usually live in areas with poor infrastructure, therefore, being affected by severe weather events.
• Elderly people
  
  • Lower immunity, increases their risk of getting sick due to changes in climate.

Question 11

What places are vulnerable to climate change?

Answer 11

• LICs
  
  • Unlikely to be able to respond to effects of climate change.
  • Weak infrastructure
• Low lying islands
  
  • People will be forced to evacuate their homes as the island will be at risk of flooding due to sea levels rising.

Question 12

What are some benefits to climate change?

Answer 12

• Tourism
  
  • Increasing temperatures cause summer to last longer, benefiting areas by the coast that welcome tourists every summer
• Sea routes
  
  • As sea ice melts due to rising temperatures, it will free up routes in the ocean, allowing new trading routes to take place.

Question 13

Provide 2 adaptation strategies.

Answer 13

• France/Toronto green roofs
  
  • Rooftops on new buildings must be either partially covered in plants or solar panels.
  • This creates an isolating effect, which helps in reducing the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter
• Copenhagen waterway
  
  • Turning parks into temporary lakes. This combats issues such as flooding and storms, where the lake will carry all the water caused by severe weather events.

Question 14

Provide one country that is getting affected by climate change. Explain how?

Answer 14

Country: Bangladesh

• Severe flooding in Bangladesh
• Temperature is expected to increase by 2050
• Increase in rainfall

Question 15

State and explain one global geopolitical attempt to mitigate the causes of global climate change.

Answer 15

The Paris Agreement

• aims to reduce global greenhouse emissions, with the goal of limiting the global temperature to well below 2 degrees celsius
• represented by 195 countries

How is it mitigating climate change?

• reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, and increasing carbon sinks which will reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere